When Cam Skattebo officially transferred from Sacramento State to Arizona State before the 2023 season, not much was made out of a player jumping up from the FCS to a Power 4 conference in the FBS.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!On a 3-9 Sun Devils team last year, he accumulated 783 yards and nine touchdowns from 164 carries, adapting to a higher level of football and showing signs that he could be special. He rushed for over 100 yards three times against USC, Arizona and Washington State, possessing the potential to become a dominant force for ASU.
Over this past offseason, he had the goal in mind of making the NFL and knew he needed to lock in by putting in the work to get there. By losing weight, building muscle and developing more speed, Skattebo has established himself as one of the best running backs in not just the Big 12, but in the country.
Propelling ASU to winning the Big 12 championship, the California native had three touchdowns, 16 carries, 170 rushing and 38 receiving yards in a 45-19 blowout victory over Iowa State. By totaling 1,568 rushing and 506 receiving yards this year, Skattebo became the first player in Big 12 history to have at least 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in a single season.
He has received five Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week awards this year despite the wealth of talent at the running back position in the conference. Skattebo was also named to the All-Big 12 first-team as well.
Playing so well this season, Skattebo is in the Heisman Trophy conversation along with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. Able to play two positions exceptionally, Hunter has been the favorite due to his versatility and skill on offense and defense. For Jeanty, he has powered Boise State to owning a 12-1 record and winning the Mountain West championship with 344 carries for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.
While there is a small chance the voters will change their minds and select someone other than either Jeanty or Hunter, Skattebo believes he is worthy of winning the trophy over both of them.
“Nobody respects me as the best running back in the country, and I am going to stand on that,” Skattebo said postgame. “If people want to disrespect that, I’ll keep going, I am going to keep proving people wrong. Whatever NFL team takes me, they are going to get a gem and I am going to give them everything I got for them. No matter if I win the Heisman or lose the Heisman, I should still be in that situation.”
Video Credit: Big 12 Conference on YouTube
Making his case for Skattebo to win the award, Sun Devil quarterback Sam Leavitt has been amazed with what his running back has done this season and why he is deserving of being the best player in the nation.
“I got the best seat in the house, it’s pretty wild,” Leavitt said. “I’ll hand him the ball, I’ll carry out my little fake, kinda peek back and ready for a gain of five [yards] and I just see the dude weaving through some traffic, breaks loose and goes for 70. He is the best player in the nation flat out, the most dominant player when you talk about the Heisman race. You talk about the player who is the most dominant in the game, he does that every single week, week in and week out against the best competition.”
From competing against him when he was at Idaho State and Skattebo was with Sacramento State in the Big Sky Conference to now being teammates, ASU wide receiver Xavier Guillory knew what the Sun Devils were getting back then and is proud of what Skattebo has turned out to be.
“As a receiver, I am blocking for him. Like every game that I block for him, I am like, ‘Cool, oh, he is still running!’ I was at Idaho State while he was at Sac State, so we were in the same [Big Sky] Conference and I’ve seen this since 2021,” Guillory said. “This dude is crazy, I don’t understand his contact balance. It’s cool not to understand because I have the best seat in the house watching this dude run through people. I can’t even compare it, like this dude is so much fun to watch. I am glad to be able to team up with him. He is one, if not, the best players in the country.”
While Jeanty and Hunter are the frontrunners for the illustrious reward, if Skattebo shines on the biggest stage in college football, there could very well be a good argument that he deserves to win the Heisman.
Since Arizona State earned a bye and will compete against the winner of No. 5 Texas vs. No. 12 Clemson, Skattebo will look to carry on his success by winning the Peach Bowl and maybe even the CFP championship before he heads to the NFL.
ASU finds out fate of College Football Playoff after clinching Big 12 title
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Reporter Alec Cipollini covers the Phoenix Suns, ASU Athletics and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account, @AlecCipollini
